Communication & alerts

eBrigade Forum module

Section discussions kept organised and on record, not lost in messaging

Important exchanges buried in a WhatsApp group or a shared mailbox are information that disappears. The forum structures discussions by organisation and by section following the eBrigade hierarchy, with a complete history that authorised members can consult at any time. Unlike instant messaging, every topic stays accessible and on record — even months after the original discussion.

Included in every plan

These buttons are about the full eBrigade subscription: this module is included at no extra cost in every plan.

Forum

Lasting discussion topics organised by section, with rich text, edit history and email notifications to participants.

Included at no extra cost in every plan
In short

What is the eBrigade Forum module?

Persistent discussion topics organised by section, with rich text, edit history and email notifications to participants. It is included at no extra cost in every eBrigade plan.

The problem

Why use the Forum?

Informal exchanges between members of your organisation end up scattered across emails, instant messaging and conversations — it is impossible to find a decision taken three months ago or to look up a team’s views on a specific subject. New recruits have no access to any history of internal discussions.

What changes

What the Forum changes in eBrigade

The forum structures exchanges into persistent themed topics, which can be filtered by section and by status (open/closed). Each discussion thread keeps the complete history of contributions, available at any time. Access rights follow eBrigade’s hierarchical organisation: a member sees the discussions of their section, and a manager can filter by sub-section.

Features

What you can do with Forum

Topics organised by section

Discussions are attached to an organisation and a section following the eBrigade hierarchy. Each topic stays within its section’s scope, with no separate themed categories to configure.

Rich-text writing

Topics and messages are written in a rich-text editor (TinyMCE) that supports formatting: headings, lists, bold, links. Exchanges stay readable and well structured.

Six levels of permissions

Permissions distinguish between viewing, creating a topic, editing/replying, replying only, deleting a topic and receiving notifications. Each permission applies according to the sections the member can access.

Message edit history

Every change to a message is kept: a timeline shows all previous versions with their author and date, for full traceability of exchanges.

Closing and reopening topics

A topic can be closed to end a discussion, then reopened at any time. Filters let you display open topics, closed topics, or both.

Email notifications with opt-out

Participants in a topic who are allowed to see it are notified by email of every new message — and by mobile notification if the Advanced notifications module is enabled. Each member can unsubscribe from these notifications individually.

How it works

Step by step

1
Open your discussion topics

From the eBrigade area, authorised members create topics attached to a section, written in rich text (formatted with the built-in editor). Each topic is attributed to its author and time-stamped.

2
Your members discuss and contribute

Authorised members reply to and read threads from their eBrigade area. Each message can be edited, and the history of its previous versions remains available via a timeline.

3
Notify, and close once it is settled

Participants receive an email notification (and a mobile notification via the optional Advanced notifications module) for every new message, with the option to unsubscribe individually. Once the discussion is over, the topic can be closed, then reopened if needed.

4
Filter and find your discussions

Topics can be filtered by section and sub-section as well as by open or closed status. The complete history is kept and accessible to authorised members.

Use cases

Where this module really pays off

Associations & volunteering: persistent discussion topics between members of the same section (projects, HR questions, lessons learned).

Fire and rescue services (SDIS) & civil protection: organisational discussion threads by section, closed once the decision is made and reopened if needed.

Training centres & apprentice training centres (CFA): exchanges between trainers and learners, accessible from each person’s eBrigade area, with an email notification for every new reply.

Multi-section organisations: discussions kept separate by section thanks to permissions inherited from the eBrigade hierarchy, with a manager with wider scope able to access several sub-sections.

HR follow-up: a statistics page per member showing the number of topics created, contributions and their distribution over the last twelve months.

Module FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How does the Forum differ from eBrigade’s Advanced messaging?

Advanced messaging is geared towards direct, targeted exchanges (discussion thread, notifications). The Forum creates persistent discussion topics attached to a section, visible to authorised members and kept over time.

Is this module included in the subscription?

Yes. Since eBrigade v7.0, the Forum has been included in every plan.

How are discussions organised?

Topics are attached to an organisation and a section following the eBrigade hierarchy. Access rights (view, create, reply, edit, delete, notifications) determine what each member can do in the sections they can access: there are no themed categories to create freely.

Can a member’s activity on the forum be tracked?

Yes. A statistics page per member shows the number of topics created, the number of contributions and a chart of their contributions over the last twelve months. Creation, editing and deletion actions are also recorded in the eBrigade audit log.

Do edited messages leave a trace?

Yes. Each message keeps the history of its successive versions, available via a timeline showing who edited the message and when. Depending on their level of permissions, a member can edit or delete their own messages, or all messages.

Try eBrigade with the Forum module

30-day eBrigade trial · No card required · Module included in your plan

Module included in eBrigade 30-day eBrigade trial · No card required · Included in the plan
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